I’m no Bible scholar — Genesis was always too much of a slog to get through, in all honesty — but I do know Cain and Abel had, oh, just about zero connection to Noah and his big, species-saving ark. (Save for the perpetually creepy idea that they’re loosely related to one another.) And while we know Darren Aronofskyhasn’t been wholeheartedly faithful to the good book when crafting Noah, this next bit of news still throws the whole deal out of proper order.

Iceland Review (via ThePlaylist) have informed us that Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (I love that name) and Arnar Dan will play Cain and Abel, respectively, in the film, with their scenes “[serving] as some sort of an intro.” Interesting to note, though just how it factors into this seemingly separate tale remains a big question mark; nevertheless, those questions only inspire more curiosity.

Less mythical news comes from Deadline, who report that Nina Arianda will, around the time she starts playingJanis Joplin in Sean Durkin‘s biopic, portray another icon: Giulietta Masina, wife to and frequent star for Federico Fellini. The project in question, Fellini Black and White, centers on a trip the two took to Los Angeles when, in 1958, one of their most noted collaborations (Nights of Cabiria) was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.

Elite Squad and Elysium star Wagner Moura will play Fellini, who found himself lost in the city of angels — it was his first trip to the United States, in all fairness — leaving room for helmer Henry Bromell to fill in the blanks of that missing time. His film alleges that getting lost actually saw the man “discovering the jazz and surf scenes and falling for a veterinarian while his wife tries to drown her sorrows by cavorting with Ricky Nelson.” From this, he might (might) have even gained inspiration to craft La Dolce Vita and 8½.

Probably much more of a supporting role for Arianda, then, but it’s still a part that carries some really heavy responsibility with it. Masina, having become one of world cinema’s greatest figures over the years spent working with her husband, is a one-of-a-kind figure; she shouldn’t be played so much as she should be interpreted, I’d say.

William H. Macy, Peter Dinklage, and Terrence Howard also star in Fellini Black and White, which starts production early next year.

Are Cain and Abel an interesting direction for Noah to take itself? What are your impressions of Arianda playing Masina?